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Superfruit Antioxidants Found in Chilean Maqui Berry R


Spirituality is Beneficial for Cancer Patients A


esearch from the University of Arizona’s Health Sci- ences Center has confirmed that the South American superfruit maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) can aid the cardiovascular system and reduce blood sugar. Clinical trials found a group of antioxidants, called delphinidins, significantly reduced levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, which is linked to atherosclerosis and other heart diseases. The clinical research found that the delphinidins contained in the maqui


berry, known as the richest natural source of the antioxidant, aid the health of blood vessels by increasing nitric oxide and decreasing platelets linked with thrombosis, the clogging of arteries that can cause strokes. The researchers also found that the superfruit may help counteract skin aging from ultraviolet radia- tion-B (UVB) exposure.


ccording to a new review of research published in the journal Cancer, a strong religious or spiritual belief system may improve a cancer patient’s prognosis physically, emotionally and mentally. Researchers from Florida’s H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Insti- tute and North Carolina’s Wake Forest School of Medicine reviewed clinical studies that included more than 44,000 cancer patients. The first review focused on physical symptoms and found that patients with stronger religious and spiritual beliefs reported fewer cancer symptoms and better physical health. They also showed enhanced capabili- ties in managing their daily lives. “These relationships were particu- larly strong in patients that experienced greater emotional aspects of religion and spirituality, including a sense of meaning and purpose in life, as well as a connection to a source larger than oneself,” states Heather Jim, lead author of the first review. The second review focused on mental health and found reductions in anxiety, depression and distress among those with greater spirituality. Lead au- thor Dr. John Salsman comments, “Also, greater levels of spiritual distress and a sense of disconnectedness from God or a religious community were associated with greater psychological distress or poorer emotional well-being.” In the third review, the researchers found that patients with a stronger spir- itual well-being reported better social health, as well.


Meditation Linked to Telomere Integrity in Cancer Patients M


aintaining telomere length has been directly linked to longer lifespan in a number of studies. A telomere is the structure at the end of a chromosome that protects it from deteriorating or fusing with other chromosomes. Its length is being used to measure the potential success of integrative therapy for recovering cancer patients; now University of Cal- gary research has found that mindfulness meditation helps. The researchers tested 88 breast cancer survivors with a previous diagnosis of stage-one to stage-three breast cancer.


The patients’ telomere lengths were tested after either group-support therapy or mindfulness meditation training that included gentle hatha yoga exercises. Results showed that while the control group’s telomere lengths decreased over time, both the mindfulness group and the support therapy group were on average able to maintain their telomere length throughout the testing period.


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